Wednesday, January 28, 2009

“It was only a matter of time,” said Monika Bartyzel in Cinematical. 3-D technology has long been used in action and fantasy films, and now it’s coming to porn. Hong Kong filmmakers are at work on 3-D Sex and Zen, possibly the first ever 3-D adult film. The movie is scheduled to open in Hong Kong theaters in December, and it’s certain to elicit “an entirely different set of ooohs and aaahs” from audiences..."

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Informed Comment: Cole/ Marsh Debate on Obama's Bombing of Pakistan: "...That said, I really must object to the way [Taylor]Marsh argued this case. First, one of her main concerns is that my analysis might give comfort to the Right insofar as it offers a critique of an Obama policy. She wrote 'Talk about your wingnut New Years gift, presented on the wings of hyperbole.' And ended, 'Sean Hannity says thanks. Or who knows, maybe it's a gift.' She said that such figures on the right have been talking about Obama being criticized by the antiwar Left and suggests that my column gave support to their talking point.

The notion that we should not say something critical of the policy of a Democratic president because it might give aid and comfort to the rightwing enemy is completely unacceptable. It is a form of regimentation, and equivalent to making dissent a sort of treason. We had enough of that the last 8 years (it used to be from different quarters that I was accused of traitorously succoring the enemy)..."

Republicans step up criticism of Obama - Los Angeles Times: "...But Sunday, McCain had few kind words for Obama's initial moves as president. He called it 'disingenuous' for the White House to impose new rules to limit the influence of lobbyists but immediately claim an exemption for William Lynn III, the nominee to be deputy Defense secretary, who has lobbied on behalf of defense contractor Raytheon Co.

McCain said he would not have announced the pending closure of Guantanamo, as Obama did last week by signing an executive order, without having first decided what to do with the 245 detainees being held there.

And the senator said he would not support the stimulus plan in its current form, asserting that it should have more tax cuts and less emphasis on projects, such as repairing the National Mall or extending broadband access to rural areas..."

McCain now seems more critical of Little O than when he was running against him. What gives? Don't tell me John McCain was sucked in by the glitterati, too. Please don't tell me the only people we can nominate for President are fools.

Sunday, January 25, 2009

"We defeated Nazi Germany, which at one point controlled all of Europe and major swaths of the Soviet Union and North Africa. We held members of that master race in prison camps scattered throughout the United States. We obliterated Japan, which had raped and pillaged most of Asia and the islands of the Pacific. And we pushed Soviet communism to a dramatic collapse. We stood up against armies that numbered in the millions. Massive air power with nuclear bombs and fully armed intercontinental ballistic missiles. But when it comes to thinking rationally about a handful–245 to be precise–of real and alleged radical Islamic terrorists being locked up in the United States we soil ourselves.

We have imprisoned and executed some of the world’s most heinous mass murderers. We have lincarcerated the heads of major narcotics cartels and drug gangs. Hell, we have Hells’ Angels and skinheads in our prisons and don’t lose a nights sleep. Ye,t raise the possibility that we might put 150 suspected terrorists in prisons on U.S. soil and many of our political leaders–Republicans in particular–act like panicked passengers on the Titanic. But it is not just Republicans. Remember when Kansans had a pair of balls and some backbone? Not anymore. The Jayhawks are now a bunch of chickenhawks:.."

Saturday, January 24, 2009

Cannonfire "Giving Liberalism A Bad Name": "...Poor people don't want to hear about the alleged virtues of $4 a gallon gas. Unlike the author of this article, poor people know what it's like to spend one full hour on a bus, each and every day, standing next to rheumy alkies and wheezing pre-verts, just to go to a job located ten miles away. By all means, improve public transportation. But those who don't use it should not romanticize it.

And don't you dare spew that pap about the-best-things-in-life-are-free to someone facing homelessness -- not if you value your unbroken nose. 'Spirit' is beyond restoration when the cupboard is bare. The job of the true liberal is to replenish that cupboard -- period. Let each citizen work out the rest for himself or herself..."

"Wherever we go, we create our own reality." Ah, the good old days when GOPers ran rough-shod over any all dissent of Bush the Lesser. Welcome to the new reality. And, oh, boo-hoo.

Republicans upset as House panels move on stimulus | Reuters: "WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. House of Representatives committees on Thursday backed a raft of tax cuts and spending programs as part of the $825 billion package to boost the ailing economy, despite Republican complaints that their proposals were not getting a fair hearing..."

Lord, in the memory of all the saints who from their labors rest, and in the joy of a new beginning, we ask you to help us work for that day when black will not be asked to get back, when brown can stick around, when yellow will be mellow, when the red man can get ahead, man, and when white will embrace what is right.

Wow. The good will and votes of millions of whites still means whites need to “embrace what is right.” Think the Rev. recited this without it having been vetted? Not on your life. Oh, and to all the “yellow” who need to be “mellow,” I guess that means you’re too uptight. Chill out and stop taking all the top places in schools..."

But yes, an era came to an end. The mainstream press corps won’t be trashing Obama in the way they trashed so many Big Dems during the 16-year, Clinton/Gore/Bush/Kerry/Clinton era. (Good!) In that era’s most consequential episode, their conduct sent George Bush to the White House. But that story remains in the “sphere of deviance” for the mainstream press corps—and for the “liberal press” too. Good “career liberals” just don’t discuss it. One more time, as an era ends, we incomparably will..."

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Charlotte Front and Center: Obama has New Communtiy Group: 'Organizing for America': "...For those who didn't vote for Obama (many democrats, republicans,and Independents as well) now is the time to organize. Yet, we continue to see the splintering off of conservative groups who wish not to be identified with the Republican party because they are 'compromising' with those who tend more towards the center. It is understandable no one wants to compromise their beliefs, but there still has to be a unification of groups if there is any serious hope of winning against Obama in 2012. To be goal-oriented is necessary. If the goal is to not see Obama win re-election, then people must unite for that one purpose..."

Sunday, January 18, 2009

Bush wasn’t so bad after all, according to Obama : NO QUARTER: "If there’s one thing you can count on from Obama, it’s that he will try to please everyone, and end up pleasing nobody. This guy has some kind of psychological problem. He will “say anything” to try to garner favor. He’s the Eddie Haskell of politics.

He will also do everything he can to avoid being blamed for anything. After running against Bush and the Neocon policies for two years, he suddenly finds himself in the position of having to decide whether his campaign rhetoric was just talk or a real plan for action.

Saturday, January 17, 2009

Remember a couple or three years back when Circuit City fired all its veteran (read "higher paid") employees to fatten those executive bonuses? Didn't work out too well, eh? As a heavy duty consumer of all sorts of electronic gadgetry, why would I buy from a retail store of any kind when Amazon, among others, can beat the snot out of anyone on price? Only one real reason: customer service, which you can't get from minimum wage trainees (I can read the damn manual and I wouldn't be bothering you if were not some sort of issue not covered in the manual or on the device's website.) I have my eye on a Sony XBR 52" LCD and when the price drops just a bit more, I'll be at my local Radio Shack plunking down the green. Why? When I could order it for hundreds less from Amazon or Best Buy? Simple-- this is an expensive purchase, it's big, bulky and heavy, and the guys that work there will haul it to my house and install it as part of the purchase price. Plus, I know all them and I know where they live. All Circuit City ever tried to do to everyone I know is jack them into a multiyear, high priced and usually unnecessay warranty. So, it is hard to sympathize...

Bloomberg.com: Worldwide: "Jan. 17 (Bloomberg) -- Circuit City Stores Inc., the bankrupt consumer-electronics chain, starts going-out-of- business sales at its 567 U.S. stores today, the beginning of the end for a retailer that began selling televisions in 1949..."

"... But it must be the right reform: the establishment of a national single-payer style healthcare reform system by expanding the existing Medicare system to cover all Americans. According to a new "Single Payer/Medicare for All: An Economic Stimulus Plan for the Nation" study released today by the National Nurses Organizing Committee/California Nurses Association, such a reform would provide a major stimulus for the U.S. economy by creating 2.6 million new jobs and infusing $317 billion in new business and public revenues into the economy. This reform would, according to the study, add $100 billion in wages to the currently sputtering U.S. economy..."

My favorite TV show wins an award: Does a 'True Blood' win signal an HBO comeback? - Los Angeles Times: "...Anna Paquin's win as the telepath Sookie Stackhouse in 'True Blood' therefore stood out. She wasn't a shoo-in (although two of her competitors, Kyra Sedgwick and Mariska Hargitay, have already won Globes for their roles), and the series itself has earned mixed critical reaction and so-so ratings..."

I was a huge fan of Dexter, but the second season has left me less than thrilled. Battlestar Galactica has promised this will be the end (thank the gods). I guess I will just have to rely on Washington to furnish most of my entertainment, and thus far, we are not amused.

Personally, after all the vetting, when she shows definitively that she is the best man and woman for the job, I wish she would say, “On second thought, I’d like to stay in the Senate. I think I’d do a better job than Caroline Kennedy and let’s face it, there’s no consolation prize for being swindled out of the presidency by your own party. Yeah, being the foreign president would be a nice addition to my CV, but completely unnecessary. Surely, SURELY, you can find someone to do this job as well as I can.”

Probably not but if Senator “I-went-to-elementary-school-in-Indonesia!” would like to switch places before the inauguration seals the fate of our country for the next four years, I’d like to hear how *he* would answer the questions the experts would put before him..."

Sunday, January 11, 2009

Schuster Owned By Zeigler On MSNBC Regarding Sarah Palin : NO QUARTER: "To me the most damning point is that there was never any comparably tough interview of Obama. He was not challenged about his lack of experience, as well as his neglect of his job as Senator. How many interviewers asked him hard questions about his relationship with his long time mentor Rezko, particularly that house deal which happened after Obama knew Rezko was being investigated by the Feds? (On McLaughlin Pat Buchanan said Obama’s ties to corrupt players in Ill. was the most underreported story of the year. He was right.)Did anyone ask Obama how it was he did not know that his own constituents were trapped in Rezko’s slums? Are we to believe that none of them ever complained to him when he was their state senator?

The right wants to frame this problem as liberal bias, but it really is based in class and gender bias as well as envy of those who are smarter than they are. It is not just conservatives that they savage. The media used sexist attacks to trash Hillary. They constantly hounded Bill and portrayed him as white trash. Bush was well-liked by the media, something they try to hide by claiming they only gave him a pass after 9-11. The truth is they helped the Republicans sell him to us in 2000 by willingly ignoring his blatant lies, his history of bankruptcies, insider trading, and downplaying his National Guard history all the while praising him as a regular guy who would be fun to have a beer with. In contrast, they portrayed Gore as a dishonest phony.

A democracy cannot function when voters make choices based on such propaganda. The media deserves a large share of blame for the mess we are in as a result of Bush’s presidency. Clearly the media believe that they are more qualified than the rest of us to pick our presidents and have no qualms about biasing information to make sure their guy(and I do mean guy)wins."

"...In "This Week with George Stephanopoulos," Obama gave every Republican operative, er, official, a get-out-of-jail card courtesy of moving forward. But as one might expect, the blogger boyzz are up in arms.

The new Congress and the new President are facing some very daunting challenges; challengers that could create even more of an imperative to forget the past and just move on.

Oh, my bad. It's never Obama's fault; it's always something or someone else. Obama continues to walk on water and build the world in six days. It's the unholy mess we're in; but please, pretty please, don't be seduced by the presidency, Mr. President-elect and forget the blogger boyzz whose praises won the fight for you..."

Hillary Clinton plays Mrs Nice Guy for Senate - Times Online: "NOTHING is being left to chance as Hillary Clinton awaits confirmation as secretary of state after losing the battle for the presidency that she once thought would be hers. Clinton has been engaging in some private diplomacy of her own in one-to-one meetings with members of the Senate foreign relations committee to minimise potentially damaging rows when her confirmation hearing begins on Tuesday..."

Friday, January 09, 2009

"... I recently retired from the US Marine Corps, but I saw service in Iraq. I do know something of military matters that are relevant to the situation now in Gaza.

I am dismayed by the rhetoric from US politicians and pundits to the effect that if the US were under rocket attack from Mexico or Canada, we would respond like the Israelis. This a gross insult to US servicemen; I can assure you that we would NOT respond like the Israelis. In fact, US armed forces and adjunct civilians are under attack constantly in Iraq and Afghanistan by people who are much better armed, much better trained and far deadlier than Hamas (Ill ignore for now that the politicians seem to be oblivious to this fact). Israel has indeed taken a small number of casualties from Hamas rocket fire (about 20 killed since 2001), but we have taken thousands of casualties in Iraq and Afghanistan, including many civilian personnel. Hundreds of American casualties have occurred due to indirect fire, often from mortars. This is particularly true in or near the Green Zone in Baghdad. This fire often originates from densely populated urban areas..."

To say that I am conflicted about this incursion is an understatement and this post at the NYT furthered that conflict.

Thursday, January 08, 2009

Charlotte Front and Center leads the way with another example of Palin Bashing (not to be confused with Bush Bashing, which is earned and deserved) : Charlotte Front and Center: "...Matthews show had Jonathon Alter ,of Newsweek, on his Jan.8th show. Chris Matthews and Alter seem to take a spirited delight in some Palin-Pounding. Since Hillary has gone away to the Obama team, he gets his thrill (not tingle) from degrading Sarah Palin with sleazy name-calling. Jonathon Alter referred to Governor Palin as : the Nixonian Nanook of the North. How much time did it take Mr. Alter to come up with this poetic name with so much alliteration?..."

No matter how Puma I get, I will never go far enough to be able to tolerate Ann Coulter. She does have an interesting observation about Palin:

“I loved Sarah Palin. The media went after her so viciously and it was all about class,” she says. “She is a real middle-class woman, just the sort of woman that Democrats are always pretending they represent, and they attacked her relentlessly. I am not saying she was ready to be president this year, but with McCain running, she wasn’t going to get anywhere near being president. If she goes back to Alaska and is a good governor and studies and learns, she may be a presidential candidate a couple elections from now. Maybe she could be another Reagan. Remember, Reagan didn’t run for president at forty-four. She has things she needs to learn. But she has heart and soul and you can’t learn that from a book...”

Sorry about that Raygun sneaking in there-- it's poison to criticize Ronnie but he was the disaster that set the stage for Bush the Lesser and the rise of the Evil Democrats so I will never have love for him either. You can read some more on this at Charlotte Front and Center: Ann Coulter on Obama and Palin in "Guilty," from whence I lifted this excerpt.

Monday, January 05, 2009

"...Now Jon Bon Jovi is set to play for Hillary Clinton this month as she strives to pay down millions in presidential campaign debt to clear the way for her confirmation as Obama's secretary of state.

It's no ordinary gig: Bon Jovi runs the risk of losing some of his hard-earned blue-collar cred by helping bring the wealthy pol into the black at a time when corporations are begging taxpayers for billions and ordinary folks are pinching pennies..."

'Let me say unequivocally that I and my Administration have acted properly in all matters and that this investigation will bear out that fact,' he said Sunday in a report by NBC News' Andrea Mitchell. 'But I have concluded that the ongoing investigation also would have forced an untenable delay in the confirmation process...'"

Saturday, January 03, 2009

If there is a bigger booster of the military than me, I'd like to meet him or her, but this story troubles me to no end. It seems the military has been operating high schools in the Chicago area and Obama might be planning an expansion of this idea. Uncle Barack Wants Your Kids « The Confluence